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The Magic of Nuno Felting Mix silk and wool; add water, and blend BY LINDA VEI LLEUX M ore than a decade ago, I was introduced to “nuno felting”—the act of merging wool fi bers with silk fabric. T e process produces a soft, luxurious, texture-rich felt fabric from which I’ve made everything from scarves to wedding dresses. But I was amazed to discover that you can also nuno-felt seamless garments: Instead of laying a pattern out on the fabric and cutting around it, you can make a pattern out of a plastic sheet and felt around it. HOW NUNO FELTING WORKS Nuno felting begins with wool roving layered over a lightweight silk fabric. When water and soap are added, the wool shrinks, and as it does, it penetrates the silk, which bubbles and gives the nuno a unique texture. For example, China silk looks like crackled paint shining through the matte wool fi bers, while chiff on www.threadsmagazine.com shows through like a misty haze. Regardless of its appearance, nuno is always lightweight and soft because when the wool locks into the silk it doesn’t take on the stiff ness and weight often associated with felted fabric. Nuno can drape and even have sheer properties when areas of the silk are left to show through. GETTING STARTED Whether you’re interested in making nuno yardage or a seamless garment, it’s best to start by making a felted sample because it’s a good way to familiarize yourself with the process. If your goal is to make a seamless garment, use the fi bers you intend to use in your garment in your sample; the sample will show you the amount of shrinkage you can expect—an important step for planning a seamless garment. If you’ve tried everything the textile-art world has to off er, you’ll love this technique. If you’ve never ventured into the area of Nuno felting marries the qualities of silk and wool to produce a beautiful reversible fabric. Depending on the silk you use, the felt can be shot with shiny vibrant chips of color as shown in the China silk-merino wool felt above or dusted with the fine texture of chiffon as shown on the jacket at far left. textile manipulations, this is a good place to start, but beware, it can be habit forming. Felt a fl at sample to practice the felting technique; then progress into felting a simple seamless hat or vest. In no time you could be making more complicated seamless garments such as the jacket shown on the opposite page. Whether you make your own gorgeous fabric or a stunning seamless garment, nuno felting off ers a great opportunity to expand your sewing horizons. Linda Veilleux (LindaVeilleux.com) felts, designs, and teaches in Vermont. continued ▸ ▸ ▸ DECEMBER 2009/JANUARY 2010 53